EitleoirAbair

I am a single dad in the Northwestern US who is planning to start visiting Europe each year (Ireland first, of course) in a couple years with my child.

We travel just once a year, usually first class, using miles to upgrade from coach. Flying first class is our one luxury each year.
We are used to traveling to Maui and Alaska. I have the Alaska VISA card, with the companion fare.

I am trying to make out if my Alaska VISA is the best card for also flying to Europe once a year, or if there is a second card that I should get to make first class travel to Europe possible (affordable).
I have excellent credit.
I put about 20k in expenses on my current credit card year year.

Thanks for any thoughts.
best,
Mac

WorldLux

Unlikely, given that international First class is 2 to 3 classer higher than coach. Settle for business or premium economy class (depending on how you define "affordable").

LondonElite

You'll need to be a bit more precise than that. Upgrading from economy to business class with miles is not always possible as many fare classes are excluded. On airlines that have a premium economy class it's not possible at all. Also, there are high surcharges. More details would be useful!

MSPeconomist

It depends on the FF program, fare class, etc., but I'd assume that TATL upgrades will realistically cost 30,000 miles per person per direction if upgrade space is available. I doubt that $20,000 spend on any credit card can earn that many miles.

Yoshi212

As pointed out above international and standard domestic fare classes are a bit different. Standard domestic F class is equivalent to Premium Economy on most carriers. Business class is usually a lie-flat seat with multicourse meals & other perks such as lounge access before the flight, better entertainment systems & luggage allowances. PE on some airlines (VS, LH, AF) are a real treat and can make traveling, especially with a littler one, a lot easier while not killing your budget.

AS is a great program for redemption options and for many premium classes a rather good bargain but the earning potentials for bonuses are rather limited compared to other options. Also remember that many programs offer 1 way awards which gives you more options to travel when you want & not needing large balances in one program.

Also remember that when leaving from certain airports in the UK you will pay a high fee when traveling in a premium class but when departing from an EU city those fees are much less. So if you're ever going to go via London (for example) it's best to fly into London and then head to an EU destination and then fly back via London to limit those fees.

beckoa

Welcome to Flyertalk EitleoirAbair.

As you're inquiring what cards to use to maximize mileage, we'll send your query to the Credit Card forum.

~beckoa, co-moderator Information Desk

EitleoirAbair

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, I am trying to see, is there a better card than the Alaska card if I am going to be going to Europe in a couple years.
Yes, I understand that 20k in expenses each year put on a card is not enough to upgrade to first class each year.
I guess I would be looking for a card with a one-time bonus that would enable an upgrade to premium or first class the first year.

As for airlines, if I cannot get a direct flight from PDX or Seattle or Vancouver, B.C., to Shannon or Dublin, I would rather fly from PDX to some place like Chicago, and go direct from there.
I have done the flight from the US to Dublin via London. Och.

I wish there were a web site that showed which airlines fly from x city to y city, direct or with one stop, without showing a hundred and one flights and dates and times.

Thanks again.

Mac

LondonElite

There is @:-). It's called Wikipedia. Just enter the name of an airport and it will tell you what airlines serve which cities directly.

As said above, I think you need to manage your expectations on upgrades. They cost a lot of points, are usually restricted to be used with higher fare category economy tickets, may only be applicable to premium economy, and/or come with co-pay fees.

EmailKid

More important than list of airlines would be ones that will let you buy up to Biz IMHO.

And those upgrades tend not to be cheap - I am waitlisted for a $550 and 20K mile upgrade on Chicago to Brussels leg of my journey to Europe. Booked a month ago for a trip in just over a month.

I am most familiar with United as that is where my status is, but I do not believe any other airline is more generous with its upgrade policy - though there may be opportunities to upgrade for Ca$h, but that tends to be even more costly in terms of money.

WrightHI

Might also be worth looking into upgrades using Avios on BA. I think you have to buy premium economy to be able to upgrade to business, and their product doesn't get the greatest reviews, but it may be more attainable than other options.

EitleoirAbair

What are Avios and BA?
Thanks.

EmailKid

Avios are points on BA - British Airways.

LondonElite

Also not cheap, and there needs to be J availability.